His exact date and place of birth are not securely established; he belonged to the second-century AH household of Imam Musa al-Kazim.
al-Qasim ibn Musa al-Kazim
Genealogy research note — view details
Genealogical sources differ over the number and names of Imam Musa al-Kazim's children; these 37 names are retained at a possible level according to the specific list in al-Irshad.
PER-000121
Ahl al-Bayt
Probable
Disputed place
Imami source baseline
⚙️ Print, share, and more tools
Al-Qasim ibn Musa al-Kazim, May Allah Have Mercy On Him, was a documented son of Imam Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim, Peace Be Upon Him. Al-Mufid lists him among the Imam's children, while al-Kafi preserves testament and endowment reports naming him and a report of his father's affection that clearly distinguishes affection from the imamate of Imam Ali al-Rida, Peace Be Upon Him. His exact birth, death, and personal career are not securely documented. A longstanding Imami tradition associates him with a shrine at Sura, modern al-Qasim near Hilla, but medieval geographical and genealogical sources create a homonym problem, so the burial is classified as attributed and disputed rather than confirmed.
His date, place, and circumstances of death are not securely established in reliable early sources. The popular date of 22 Jumada I 192 AH belongs to later local tradition and is not treated as certain.
A longstanding Imami tradition attributes the shrine at Sura, modern al-Qasim near Hilla, to him. Medieval Shusha notices and a genealogical homonym create a burial dispute, so the site is attributed and disputed rather than confirmed.
Biography and historical profile
The basic identity of al-Qasim ibn Musa al-Kazim, May Allah Have Mercy On Him, is established by al-Mufid's al-Irshad, volume 2, page 244. Al-Mufid includes al-Qasim in his list of 37 children of Imam Musa al-Kazim, Peace Be Upon Him, and places him among sons whose mothers are not individually named. The paternal relationship is therefore strong, but assigning a specific mother would go beyond the evidence.
Al-Kafi, volume 1, Book 4, chapter 72, hadith 14, preserves Imam Musa al-Kazim's affection and compassion for al-Qasim. The same report makes clear that divine authority and imamate are not determined by personal affection and identifies Imam Ali al-Rida, Peace Be Upon Him, for the imamate. It therefore preserves al-Qasim's honoured family position without turning him into an Imam.
Al-Kafi, volume 1, Book 4, chapter 72, hadith 15, names al-Qasim with Ibrahim, al-Abbas, Ismail, Ahmad, and other brothers in Imam Musa al-Kazim's family and public testament, while overall supervision is assigned to Imam Ali al-Rida. This notice shows al-Qasim's recognized place within the household, but it does not establish independent religious or political authority.
Al-Kafi, volume 7, Book 1, chapter 35, hadith 8, also names al-Qasim in the succession of oversight for an endowment. The text places him in the administrative sequence after Ali and Ibrahim. This supplies concrete early evidence of a possible role in family charitable property, but it does not justify inventing a fuller occupation, education, or public career.
Sayyid Ibn Tawus's Misbah al-Za'ir, pages 260-261, quoted in Bihar al-Anwar, volume 102, page 272, includes al-Qasim in a general visitation text for descendants of the Imams. This proves recognition and respect for him in thirteenth-century Imami devotional memory, but it does not by itself establish a particular early grave, a complete biography, or every later local narrative.
The burial sources do not agree. Yaqut al-Hamawi's Shusha entry in Mu'jam al-Buldan, displayed page 372, mentions a grave of al-Qasim ibn Musa al-Kazim, but Ibn Inaba's Umdat al-Talib, pages 229-230, identifies the Shusha grave with al-Qasim ibn al-Abbas ibn Musa al-Kazim. Sayyid Mahdi Bahr al-Ulum, in al-Fawa'id al-Rijaliyya, volume 1, page 192, separates that genealogical Shusha attribution from the later tradition of a shrine for al-Qasim ibn Musa at Sura near Hilla. The modern al-Qasim shrine is therefore a longstanding attributed place of visitation, not a confirmed burial supported by contemporaneous or continuously traceable early evidence.
Al-Kafi, volume 1, Book 4, chapter 72, hadith 14, preserves Imam Musa al-Kazim's affection and compassion for al-Qasim. The same report makes clear that divine authority and imamate are not determined by personal affection and identifies Imam Ali al-Rida, Peace Be Upon Him, for the imamate. It therefore preserves al-Qasim's honoured family position without turning him into an Imam.
Al-Kafi, volume 1, Book 4, chapter 72, hadith 15, names al-Qasim with Ibrahim, al-Abbas, Ismail, Ahmad, and other brothers in Imam Musa al-Kazim's family and public testament, while overall supervision is assigned to Imam Ali al-Rida. This notice shows al-Qasim's recognized place within the household, but it does not establish independent religious or political authority.
Al-Kafi, volume 7, Book 1, chapter 35, hadith 8, also names al-Qasim in the succession of oversight for an endowment. The text places him in the administrative sequence after Ali and Ibrahim. This supplies concrete early evidence of a possible role in family charitable property, but it does not justify inventing a fuller occupation, education, or public career.
Sayyid Ibn Tawus's Misbah al-Za'ir, pages 260-261, quoted in Bihar al-Anwar, volume 102, page 272, includes al-Qasim in a general visitation text for descendants of the Imams. This proves recognition and respect for him in thirteenth-century Imami devotional memory, but it does not by itself establish a particular early grave, a complete biography, or every later local narrative.
The burial sources do not agree. Yaqut al-Hamawi's Shusha entry in Mu'jam al-Buldan, displayed page 372, mentions a grave of al-Qasim ibn Musa al-Kazim, but Ibn Inaba's Umdat al-Talib, pages 229-230, identifies the Shusha grave with al-Qasim ibn al-Abbas ibn Musa al-Kazim. Sayyid Mahdi Bahr al-Ulum, in al-Fawa'id al-Rijaliyya, volume 1, page 192, separates that genealogical Shusha attribution from the later tradition of a shrine for al-Qasim ibn Musa at Sura near Hilla. The modern al-Qasim shrine is therefore a longstanding attributed place of visitation, not a confirmed burial supported by contemporaneous or continuously traceable early evidence.
Historical importance and legacy
Al-Qasim ibn Musa al-Kazim is historically important because early Imami sources identify him as a real member of Imam Musa al-Kazim's household. Al-Irshad's list of children and al-Kafi's testament and endowment reports preserve his name not only in genealogy but also in practical family documents.
The report of his father's affection is especially valuable for distinguishing family love from imamate. Al-Qasim's honour remains intact, while the report separately identifies Imam Ali al-Rida for the imamate. This distinction protects the proper place of each member of the Ahl al-Bayt without unsupported exaggeration.
The shrine tradition at al-Qasim near Hilla is an important part of Iraq's Imami religious geography and urban memory. The different Shusha and Sura attributions also demonstrate that continuity of visitation and historical confirmation of a person's burial are separate questions. This profile preserves respect, local continuity, and historical caution together.
The report of his father's affection is especially valuable for distinguishing family love from imamate. Al-Qasim's honour remains intact, while the report separately identifies Imam Ali al-Rida for the imamate. This distinction protects the proper place of each member of the Ahl al-Bayt without unsupported exaggeration.
The shrine tradition at al-Qasim near Hilla is an important part of Iraq's Imami religious geography and urban memory. The different Shusha and Sura attributions also demonstrate that continuity of visitation and historical confirmation of a person's burial are separate questions. This profile preserves respect, local continuity, and historical caution together.
Family relationships
👪 Parents
Father
Imam Musa al-Kazim
Probable
Sources
al-Irshad fi Ma'rifat Hujaj Allah 'ala al-'Ibad | Shaykh al-Mufid | Vol. 2, p. 244, chapter on the children of Musa al-Kazim | https://books.rafed.net/view/429/page/244 | lists al-Qasim among Imam Musa's children; his mother is not individually namedal-Kafi | Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni | Vol. 1, Book 4, chapter 72, hadith 14 | https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/4/72/14 | Musa al-Kazim's affection for al-Qasim and the explicit distinction between affection and imamate
al-Kafi | Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni | Vol. 1, Book 4, chapter 72, hadith 15 | https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/4/72/15 | al-Qasim named in the family and public testament under Ali al-Rida's overall authority
al-Kafi | Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni | Vol. 7, Book 1, chapter 35, hadith 8 | https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/7/1/35/8 | endowment-administration succession including al-Qasim
Misbah al-Za'ir, quoted in Bihar al-Anwar | Sayyid Ibn Tawus; Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi | Misbah pp. 260-261; Bihar vol. 102, p. 272 | https://lib.eshia.ir/11008/102/272 | later general visitation text naming al-Qasim
Mu'jam al-Buldan | Yaqut al-Hamawi | displayed p. 372, entry Shusha | https://ablibrary.net/book_content/640/372 | medieval geographical burial notice
Umdat al-Talib fi Ansab Al Abi Talib | Ibn Inaba | pp. 229-230 | https://books.rafed.net/view/1715/page/230 | genealogical identification of the Shusha grave as al-Qasim ibn al-Abbas, creating homonym caution
al-Fawa'id al-Rijaliyya | Sayyid Mahdi Bahr al-Ulum | Vol. 1, p. 192 | https://ablibrary.net/book_content/4084/192 | later critical distinction between Shusha and Sura burial traditions
Mazar al-Sayyid al-Qasim ibn al-Kazim fi Babil: Tarikhuhu wa 'Imaratuhu | Imtithal Kazim Sarhan, University of Baghdad | Vol. 20, no. 2, 2023, pp. 251-266 | https://iasj.rdd.edu.iq/journals/uploads/2025/07/10/0c018b7c5ab29b396e5f1a4528218170.pdf | modern shrine history and architecture only
Gallery
No approved images yet.
📤 Submit a photo of this person or place
The image will remain private until approved.
💬 Visitor comments
No approved comments yet. Be the first to comment.
Comments are published after administrator approval.